Something old, something new,

Something borrowed, something blue,

And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

I whipped up a little blue keepsake for a friend who was married on Saturday.

Evidently the rhyme is Victorian in origin, and is wished for good luck.

• 'Something old' represents continuity with the bride's family and the past.
• 'Something new' is for optimism and hope for the marriage
• 'Something borrowed' is traditionally something special loaned from a happily married friend, and signifies that friends will always be there for the bride in times of need.
• 'Something blue' symbolises purity, love and fidelity. Blue was evidently a popular colour for wedding gowns in the late 1800's, and is the source of the phrase, 'Marry in blue, lover be true'.
• And the silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security.

This is a favourite gift I like to make for brides. The pattern is by

Marg Low

and is called '

Sweet Heart Birdies

'. It uses one of Barb Smith's woodcut buttons, called '

Kissing Birds

' available at

Theodora Cleave

. I used some beautifully silky smooth Cosmo Seasons variegated embroidery floss 8076, purchased from

Patchwork Orange

.

Funnily enough, the 'marry in blue, lover be true' saying is but the start of something bigger! Who ever knew?!

Marry in white, everything's right

Marry in blue, lover be true

Marry in pink, spirits will sink

Marry in grey, live far away

Marry in brown, live out of town

Marry in green, ashamed to be seen

Marry in yellow, ashamed of your fellow

Marry in black, wish you were back

Marry in red, wish you were dead

Marry in tan, he'll be a loved man

Marry in pearl, you'll live in a whirl